[US-Iran War] Anthropic Used in Iran Airstrikes...Public Focus Shifts to 'AI Ethics'

Trump Criticizes Anthropic as a "Leftist Company"

Anthropic's "Claude" Used to Identify Targets

Rising Interest in AI Ethics... "Human Rights Must Be Prioritized"

The Trump administration's use of Anthropic's AI model in a series of military operations has heightened public attention on AI ethics.

On March 2 (local time), the international community expressed concerns over the reality that AI technology is becoming a core strategy in warfare, following a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report that the United States had used Anthropic's AI model, "Claude," in an airstrike against Iran. Although the U.S. Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not disclose the specifics of its application, it is known that the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, used Claude for intelligence gathering, target identification, and combat scenario simulations. In addition, Claude reportedly assisted in identifying high-value targets such as Iranian leadership and helped establish attack priorities.

The airstrike on Iran using Claude took place just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the federal government would not use Anthropic's products. President Trump and Anthropic have been at odds over the use of AI in defense since last year. The conflict escalated to its peak when it became known that the Department of Defense had also used Claude in the process of attempting to apprehend Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.

Anthropic has rejected the Department of Defense's request to use its models in classified networks, stating, "Our models cannot be used for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapon systems where humans are excluded from final decision-making." The Department of Defense has pressured Anthropic by referencing the Defense Production Act (DPA), which allows the government to control private industry output for national security purposes. President Trump has also criticized Anthropic on the social networking service Truth Social, calling it a "radical left-wing company."

Anthropic, Founded on a Mission to "Control AI"... Claude Tops App Store Rankings

The company's firm stance on defense-related matters is closely linked to its founding story. Dario Amodei, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Anthropic, joined OpenAI in 2016 and played a key role in developing ChatGPT. However, in 2021, internal conflict arose at OpenAI over the pace of AI model commercialization and the pursuit of profit. Holding the view that AI needed to be more strictly controlled, CEO Amodei left OpenAI and founded the new AI company Anthropic.

Public opinion increasingly values AI companies that uphold AI ethics. Claude, which has taken an anti-Trump stance while prioritizing AI ethics, has seen a surge in popularity as a prime example. On February 28, Claude surpassed OpenAI's ChatGPT to claim the top spot among free apps on the U.S. Apple App Store, leading to access errors due to a spike in usage. In contrast, OpenAI has come under heavy criticism after signing a contract to provide its services to the Department of Defense's classified networks. Hakim Jeffries, House Democratic Leader, stated, "Widespread surveillance of American citizens is unacceptable."

Interest in AI ethics is also on the rise in Korea. On February 25, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Institute for Peace and War at Sungkonghoe University held a discussion session titled "The Future of Artificial Intelligence and War" at the Neutinamu Hall of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Paik Beomseok, professor at the Kyung Hee University Law School, remarked, "Entrusting AI with decisions that could result in mass civilian casualties poses serious moral issues," and emphasized, "Human rights must be prioritized in every aspect of technological development, from design to decommissioning."

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